Guys, we did it. The last days of 2014 are here. Woot! Celebrate! Goodbye 2014, you have treated me well. Hello 2015, well, aren’t you looking all shiny and new.
Things that were awesome for me in 2014:
- I became even more vegan. Becoming hyper aware of animal testing, leather, wool, and any other nasty things I want to avoid. It takes a while to learn about all of these things, so I am feeling proud that I am more vegan than ever.
- My first surprise party. On my 30th birthday Andrew threw a big bash with all my friends, vegan catering, and a performance by musician Royal Wood!
(Andrew’s creative party decorations).
- I started a line of It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken apparel.
- I posted 35 out of 100 recipes for the 1/100/100 challenge. 65 more to go and only 163 days. Eeek! Be prepared for a lot of deliciousness soon to come.
- I got a shiny new Canon Rebel T3i which I have been learning how to use. Who knew I would get so excited about taking photos of food?
- It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken has been getting rather popular, (aww shucks) thanks guys. Spreading the delicious vegan word to more and more peeps everyday.
Things I am looking forward to in 2015:
- Veganuary! The official month of veganism. Are you going to make this your new years resolution?
- A new kitchen. There are some serious renovations going on at my house, and I am beyond excited to have an upgraded kitchen.
- My best friend’s wedding. I’m not referring to the movie, and I’m definitely not going to try to steal away the groom. (No offence Al.)
- This Creamy Red Pepper Cashew Dip… all the time… must dip… so tasty.
What better way to bring in the new year, than with deliciously healthy recipes! This recipe is entirely whole, oil free, gluten free, raw – if you soak the cashews, and you consider cashews raw (there is some debate on this). AND it takes only 10 minutes to make! Just toss everything in a blender. Great for last minute company. Most importantly, it’s darn tasty. Creamy, almost cheesy, nacho-like, yum. Great with tortilla chips or fresh cut veggies.
Just toss everything into a blender. Blend, and….
Welcome to creamy deliciousness.
You can heat it up in a pot over medium low heat, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn, or serve cold. Both ways are great.
Creamy Red Pepper Cashew Dip. A healthy, vegan, dairy free, whole, oil free, gluten free, raw AND takes only 10 minutes to make! Darn tasty, creamy, almost cheesy, nacho-like, yum.
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked or boiled (see nots)
- 1/2 red pepper
- 1 cup non-dairy milk, such as soy or almond
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Add everything to a blender, and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
To boil the cashews, add the cashews to a pot and cover with water, bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until cashews are tender. Drain and rinse.
To soak the cashews, put the cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water, soak for 4 hours or overnight until tender. Drain.
Feature Ingredient: Red Pepper. 163 Days, 65 Recipes to go.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
What about heating the dip in the oven for a hot dip? Do you think that would turn out good or do something funky to it? I was also thinking of roasting the red pepper first. The first time I made this recipe I didn’t have a red pepper so I used chipotle chili powder. It was good! I have a cuisinart food processor and I wasn’t sure how long to blend it. It seemed like it was getting creamier the longer I went but I didn’t want it to turn. I feel like I could of gone longer though. Any tips?
Yummy recipe, thank you!
Thanks Stacey! I don’t think this dip would be great hot. I would opt for my Spinach and Artichoke Dip or Nacho Cheese for a hot dip. I usually blend the dip in my Blendtec which is a beast of a blender, so I would say it’s safe to blend longer. It should be very smooth and creamy. 🙂
Non-vegan chiming in here, delicious! Maybe it’s just my taste from a usual meat palette, but I went heavier on the yeast, salt, chilli powder, and I used the whole red pepper and lemon– it turned out very much like a queso dip and I’m very happy with it. Thank you for sharing!
You’re most welcome, Joey, so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hey! Thank you for the amazing recipes! You are real inspiration!
You’re most welcome 🙂
I’m just wondering what no dairy milk is best to use?
Any unsweetened non-dairy milk will do. My go-to’s are soy or almond milk 🙂
it looks so yummy! i live alone.. how long can it be kepted in the fridge^?
I think it would keep for about a week when kept in an air-tight container in the fridge. It makes a great sandwich spread as well. Enjoy!
Hi,
I just made this and it came out very runny, how would you suggest to thicken it?
Hmmm, I’ve never had that happen before. Maybe drain it with cheesecloth?
Just wondering- why add yeast?
Nutritional yeast is not the same as the yeast used in bread. It has no rising properties and is often used for flavouring in vegan cooking as it has a nutty cheesy taste. Check out my Top Vegan Pantry Staples to learn more about it and other cool vegan flavourings 🙂
Hi there! Follower here!! I was curious if this by chance turns brown after a couple hours of being left out? I made a cashew cream ambrosia for a party one time and was mortified when the white looking cream quickly turned brown and looked very unappetizing. I definitely plan on making the spinach artichoke dip but would like to also maybe try this. Thanks in advance for any input!!
Hi Allison,
Ooof that sounds awful! I think this dip should be just fine… although it probably won’t last that long anyways 😉
I wonder how it would be as a salad dressing. Have you tried it?
It’s very thick, so you would need to thin it out but I am sure it would be very tasty!
Could you use cashew butter as a substitute?
Hi Jill, no you can’t. For cashew butter the cashews have been processed to the point where they release their oil. Here the cashews are softened and then whipped into a fluff. The resulting texture is totally different, and if you tried to substitute I don’t think you would get very good results. Hope that helps!
Just made this – love it! I have a pretty decent blender but it’s not the best that’s out there so I have had to run it a couple minutes at a time and give it a break here and there. Letting my blender rest one more time before giving it one final spin. Everytime I taste it between blends it keeps getting better and better. We’re having BBQ bean burritos for dinner (vegan of course) and I can’t wait to use this as a “sour cream” on mine! Thanks for another winner 🙂
Yay! So happy you loved it Laura. Oh how yummy, I want to make burritos now, just so I can top them with this! Good idea!
this sounds like it would be perfect on warm pasta… yum!
Ooo I’ve never tried that! Sounds delish! If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out. 😀
this was SO delicious. Took dip to work, and co-workers DO NOT believe this is not made with sour cream and mayo. “It’s too creamy!”, “it’s too smoothe”, “It is NOT nuts—You’re nuts!” I have eaten this as my paste sauce over kamut noodles, as a dip for my veggies, as a dip for my pretzels and enjoyed every bite. Thank you for this!
Hi Kate!
Yay! So very happy you loved the recipe so much 😀
I love giving vegan food to people who assume it should taste like cardboard, and then blowing them away! So fun! Thank you for coming back and leaving this lovely comment.
Sam
YUM!
I know, right!?
Trying tonight with the hubby for our first ever vegan-appy night along with your Cauliflower Hot Things and our own Garlic Mushroom French Bread! Been loving all the things you post…you are definitely making this Vegan transition tastier AND easier than we thought it would be!! Thanks and blessings!!
P.S. We made it, we ate it, we LOVED it!
Yay!! So glad you loved it!
Ooo garlic mushroom french bread sounds divine!!! So happy you are finding the transition easy and tasty, and super happy that my recipes are helping! Comments like these make my day. 🙂
This looks delicious! I love red peppers, I love cashews, and I love dip. Win-win-win! 🙂
Congrats on accomplishing so much this year! I hope you have a happy and healthy New Year.
Thank you Meredith! And thank you more, I just noticed that you were the top commenter of the year! I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year as well 🙂